A place called home
by Sharonlici0us
Summary: This story takes place in the alternative universe in Season 6. Only the first chapter is based on a spoiler, my imagination did the rest of the story! I'm still continuing my other story 'Second Chances' but I had to write something more playful.
1. Chapter 1

Sawyer looked up from behind the wheel of his car. What was taking this guy so damn long? He knew that the man he was looking for has an appointment in the building ahead of him at 11 p.m. He checked his clock, he should be here any minute. After waiting for a few more minutes he finally sees the Korean approaching. Sawyer opens the car window and beckons to the approaching man. He cautiously walks up to the car to give the man that is calling him a closer look. He couldn't make out the man behind the steering wheel, but then he said:

"Good evening, Enis."

Right after Miles heard those 3 little words he knew it had to be the southerner again and he quickly walks away. But the blonde man didn't give up so quickly and calls out to him.

"Miles!"

Miles stops at this thinking that it had to be important if he is using his real name so he stops and turned back to the car. Once he is close Sawyer leans over and opens the passenger door. Miles gets in and without saying another thing Sawyer gives Miles a file with photographs, and Miles flips through it. He looks at one photo intensely, and hands it back.

'So, you got her then?' Miles asked.

'Yep, I think that…. '

Sawyer stopped talking because he saw something approaching in the corner of his eyes and looked to his side to check the left rear view mirror.

'Sonofabitch!' Sawyer cried out right before he felt the impact of the crash. He was thrown violently around the car and hit his head hard against the front window. When the car finally came to a stop he felt blood run down his cheek and everything hurt. He quickly searched for Miles and found him sitting still in the passenger's seat with his head down. Sawyer checked if he was OK but figured he was dead because he couldn't find a pulse. What the hell happened ? Looking out the window he saw the car that had hit his car. It was a blue Dodge sedan and from the looks of it, it must have been a rear-end collision. He then heard sirens and saw a police car pull up behind the sedan. At the same time he saw someone get out of the car and ran away.

What the fuck does that guy think he is doing?! He got out of the car as quickly as he can and ran after the person that crashed into his car. He heard voices behind him calling them to stop but he kept on running. Was he in a freaking COPS episode?! The person he was chasing ran down an alley and Sawyer tried his best to catch up. He was going to take care of this by himself. It was dark outside so he couldn't see the person clearly but he was wearing a black jacket and a gray hood pulled over his head. The person he was chasing was obviously chased by the police and accidently crashed into his car. But that was not his problem. He was going to make that person pay, he just had his car fixed and by the looks of it this was going to be an expensive joke.

The fugitive slowed down because he ran into a stack of boxes and Sawyer took this opportunity to catch up. He grabbed the person by the collar and pushed the person up against a doorway. Right when he thought the person was very light-weighted for a man the hood came down and he was met by a pair of amazing green eyes looking right up at him. He certainly didn't expect the person to be a woman and especially not as beautiful as she was. Her brown curls cascaded down her face and she had a wild look in her eyes.

For a minute Kate forgot everything around her as she met her pursuers deep emerald eyes. She knew someone was chasing her but she assumed it was a cop. But when she looked into his eyes she recognizes him. It was that guy that was in the elevator with her at LAX.

Suddenly she became very aware of the way he still pinned her at the door with his body. She could see he was connecting the dots too. She felt his breath close to her ear but erased the effect it had on her in her eyes. But this didn't go unnoticed by Sawyer. He came back down to earth as he heard voices and looked to his left. Kate took this opportunity to head butt him because he was still holding her down and the cops where catching up to her. She didn't know what his intentions were although she remembered he had helped her in the elevator.

Sawyer crouched down from the effects of the blow and while wincing he stumbled after her down the alley. He looked to his left and saw the cops coming closer. It wasn't the smartest idea for Sawyer to stay behind in the alley since the cops probably had seen the pictures he had showed to Miles. And the fact that there was a 9 mm in the dashboard also wasn't coming in handy right know, to say the least. He looked to his right an noticed the girl was almost at the end of the alley and he decided to catch up with her the second time that night. He grabs her by the arm, a little more violently than needed.

"Jesus, woman. If you wanted to play rough, all you had to do was say so." He said gritting his teeth. She kept running while he said it but she turned her head around and a small smile formed on Kate's lips.

Sawyer was surprised to see her reaction but didn't had time to think it over because they arrived the end of the alley. He looked behind him and saw that the cops weren't as close as he thought they were. At the end of the alley there was a street that looked exactly like the street were the car crash took place. He ran towards an old black BMW that couldn't be seen by the running cops in the alley and smashed the window on the backseat. Kate got what he was doing and as Sawyer gallantly opened the door for her with a sweet smile just like he had done in the elevator she rolled her eyes at him as if she was annoyed but couldn't help smiling a little at his attitude.

They were lucky that the police didn't see the old BMW drive away. When they pulled up and were almost at the end of the street they saw the cops searching for them in the rear-view mirror but luckily it was too crowded in the street to see where they went so they were still searching the street. Sawyer checked on the girl again to see if she had any thoughts about where they were going but she had her gaze fixed on the group of cops behind them.

He didn't had a clue where he was driving. He decided that it wasn't a clever idea to go to his apartment in LA because maybe Miles survived and could tell the cops who he was. But he realized it doesn't matter because he was probably screwed anyway, thinking of all the evidences he left in his car.

And now that he had helped a fugitive escape he probably was even more screwed. He looked at the girl and wondered what she had done that bad since there was a whole group of police officers chasing her. She didn't look like a criminal but you never know.

He didn't know what had gotten into him helping a fugitive escape. But it was mostly to save his own ass. Since he boarded the plane back to the States he was trying to do his best to keep away from the police because of what he had done in Sydney. It is always better to let sleeping dogs lie and THAT was the reason why he stole the car, he convinced by himself. But he had only worked his ass in more trouble. They were probably searching for her everywhere and it was just a matter of time before the cops were getting on to him too. And if they did , he had a major problem, seeing they probably connected the dots and send him to jail for murder.

He looked over to his right and saw that she had falling asleep and he couldn't stop looking at her face. The same face that had a haunted look just minutes ago while they were being chased looked so peacefully asleep now.


	2. Chapter 2

He pulled up at a gas station because they had the luck to steal the one car on the street that had an empty gas tank. Luckily Sawyer had enough money in his pockets to last a whole month.

When the car came to a halt Kate woke up. She looked at Sawyer and he said:

"You want anything?"

She shook her head and he got out. She followed him with her eyes until he was inside and she sighed. Did she just fell asleep? That's great, Kate, she thought, falling asleep in a car with a complete stranger driving. He could have done whatever he wanted with her but deep inside she knew he wasn't going to do that. She had felt strangely comfortable with him from the moment he bumped into her but he was still a stranger. Her eyes fell on the jacket he left on the car seat and she reached out to get it. She looked trough the window of the car and when she didn't saw him approaching she went trough his pockets. Her hands found a pack of smokes but then she felt something else. She took it out and looked at it but quickly placed it back into his pocket since she saw him approaching.

He had a coke, a bag of chips ,a sweater, a cap and a pack of Marlboro. She decided she wouldn't comment he still had a full pack in the pocket of his jacket when he sat down next to her. He was wearing a baseball cap and he gave one cap to her. After that he handed her a pink sweater and she looked at him incredibly.

"It's pink" She said flatly.

"Yeah I thought since most girls like pink , I buy the pink one." He smirked

"I'm not most girls" She said looking daringly at him.

"Yeah I figured that one out when you crashed into my car and ran." Sawyer said emphasizing that last word. She looked down and said. "I'm sorry 'bout that" She looked sincerely sorry ,Sawyer noticed and he pulled the car back on the road.

"Don't worry 'bout it freckles. I have always wanted to chase a hot fugitive…" he said giving her a seductive look showing his dimples again. But when he looked sideways at her ,her face dropped.

"Why did you help me?" She asked suddenly.

"Ah the key question… Well that wasn't really the plan at first but since cops were chasing me I didn't really want to turn my ass around and run right into their arms. Because you know… I'm not exactly on their favorite person list too ,Freckles . But hey, look on the bright side ; that's at least one less Christmas card I'll have to send this year." She was surprised at his sudden nickname for her and she smiled a little.

"Stop calling me Freckles , I don't like it." She said but she didn't sound so convincing. Sawyer noticed this too.

"You keep telling yourself that… " He said cheekily.

What an ass, he probably thinks he got me all figured out, Kate thought but starting to doubt herself again. He did that a lot to her, she noticed.

"Maybe if you tell me your name, I don't have to make one up for you"

"Lucie"

"No need to lie you know" and after a while: "Mine's Sawyer."

She looked at him and thought to herself how he knew she was lying. She was a good liar and always got people to believe her, even her ex-husband. Sawyer saw the change in her facial expression and smirked knowing he got her.

"So FRECKLES you wanna tell me what you did?"

"No" She said flatly.

"Why not?"

"Because it's none of your business that's why not." She said looking away from him.

"Well actually it is now Sweet cheeks.' He responded.

"Oh you already made up another nickname ,huh?" She said looking back at him and crossing her arms.

"Nah Freckles pisses you off so I'm gonna stick to that" He laughed a little at her trying to look annoyed.

She rolled her eyes and had a strange sensation she wanted to strangle him and wanted to kiss him at the same time. _Why are you thinking like that Kate_? she thought to herself. It is probably because you hadn't been with a guy in a while. You don't even like this guy that much and here she is ,thinking about how good the way his body had felt against her when he pinned her against the door in the alley.

Sawyer focused his attention back on the road again and she took her change to take a better look at him. He had dirty blonde hair that nonchalantly fell back and he was wearing a black leather jacket with a gray t-shirt and damaged jeans. She already had noticed his piercing emerald eyes but they looked much softer now he was calmer. He was handsome that was for sure, and he most likely knew it himself.

"You like what you see Freckles?' He straddled her but she recovered quickly and responded nonchalantly.

"Don't flatter yourself, I was looking at the gash at your eyebrow. It doesn't look very good I think it needs to be cleaned. " She was talking about the small cut that had split open when she head butted him. Wanting to do something back for the asshole she began searching through the back of the car and found a bottle of Southern Comfort and took it. He did after all saved her ass.

Sawyer saw the movements and as he saw the bottle he got what she was going to do with it and said almost panicked:.

"Oh no darlin' you're not going to waste that! You want to get wastED on that."

"You're serious? You really think this would be the good time to get wasted?"

"Baby, I'm helping one hell of an aggressive fugitive who crashed into my car, I've been kicked at yelled at and shot at all in one hour. Off course I'm serious."

"Now give me the damn bottle." He said almost angry.

He made a move to the bottle but Kate took it out of his hands and took a large swig out of the bottle. His eyes opened wide in shock. She looked back at him daringly but when she noticed his mouth hanging open she almost got a shy look in her eyes. Sawyer took the bottle and took a large swig from it too. _Damn, this girl is going to be the death of me _,he thought.

"So what's the plan?" He asked after a long silence.

"Well I figured that you can drop me of at the next motel or something"

"OK sounds like a plan to me." He said, although he was a little bit disappointed that she wanted to go separate ways. He actually started to like her in the short amount of time they had spend together and there was something between them that didn't go unnoticed by him, although he didn't knew what it was. He had always been a sucker for a pretty face, he thought. But she wasn't like any other girl he had ever met, just like she implied before.

He saw a half destroyed sign with the words VACANCY half visible and took the exit. When he pulled up at the motel, it looked disserted; the only form of light were the lights coming from the reception.

She got out first and Sawyer didn't know how to act but decided to get out of the car too. She turned to him and it was obvious that she didn't know what to do neither.

"Well thank you for anything... " She began silently, smiling a little while thinking of the circumstances of that night.

"Pleasure was all mine Freckles." And he gave her a wink, his emerald eyes sparkling in the dark.

Ok, Kate thought, it was definitely time to go before he got the chance to get under her skin. She turned away from him and was glad she had the sweater and a cap so that the man nearby the reception didn't paid much attention to her.

Sawyer saw her walking towards the reception as he casually leaned against the door smoking the cigarette he deserved. Ok, he gave in , also to take one last look at her. He shook his head and smiled a little. She was really a piece of work ,he thought. He finished the cigarette and opened the door to 'his' car when he saw a man in a dark coat approaching the girl. Or was he just walking by? She probably didn't noticed it but a wisp of her brown curls was still visible and her pink sweater didn't help. He had only picked the pink one because he already figured it would piss her of and had thought all the way down the car at the way she would look when she got it. He couldn't be more right and he was glad because he found out she was cute pissed off. The way she rolled her eyes , crossed her arms and frowned her eyebrows. He smiled thinking back of the picture she made in his head. He looked over at her and saw that the man was indeed approaching her. He had to do something right? He was after all the one that put her in the damned fluorine pink sweater. Sawyer started to walk toward her when he saw that the man touched her arm and came closer to her. He picked up his pace and when he was near them he grabbed her swiftly by the arm and dragged her with him back to the car. The man didn't follow them and he looked actually a little startled. When they were out of sight she said.

"What are you stalking me now?" He looked at her incredibly and said almost angry: "Stalking you? I was protecting you!"

"From what southern perverts? " He was shocked that she could make a joke in this situation, the guy could have been a cop!

She saw his reaction and said: "The guy only asked the time you know... "

"Yeah but he could have been a cop!"

He looked so cute pretending so hard that he hadn't protected her ,Kate thought. He had been _worried_ about her and helped her for the second time that night. Sawyer noticed her sympathy look and he got angry.

"You know what forget it, if you want to go wondering around and be caught then be my guest." He didn't get why, he just met the freaking girl about 2 hours ago and she already had driven him up the wall several times. This was insane, he thought and stalked off back to the car. But then he heard her say something that made the little hairs in the back of his neck stand up straight.

"James, wait!"

He jerked his head back at her at the notion of his given name. He walked up to her and she was met with his furious gaze. He stepped even closer to her until their noses where just millimeters away.

"What did you call me?" She couldn't help but wince a little at the sound of his voice and thought how she was going to explain this to him. So she tried.

"I umm checked your ID while you were out of the car at the gas station." She said looking at the ground underneath them. His look softened a bit when she looked up into his eyes.

"I wanted to know who you were to see who I was dealing with ,you now…"

"My name is Kate." She smiled up at him and after a long pause said: "I need to sleep, so I'm going to check in to the motel. So maybe, you can umm… stay here too?"

That was the understatement of the year, he thought. Because the truth was he couldn't really go anywhere now he was being chased too. He looked at her as if it was a really tough question and he had to over think it.

"Hell, like I have something better to do." He tried his best to make it sound as indifferent as possible but deep down he was thrilled to see that he wasn't the only one who was enjoying the company.

She innocently added: "I'll clean up that cut for you" she said smiling back at him while walking toward the reception. Sweet Jesus this woman WAS going to be the death of him.

Sawyer insisted that they had to play a married couple to make the act more believable but Kate had her suspicions of him taking advantage of the situation so that they would have to sleep in one bed. She knew he was a pervert , in the last few hours he had make tons of remarks and they all ended up in the same direction. But in some twisted way she didn't think it was that disgusting then she let on. Sometimes she even smiled widely at his stupid comments and she kicked herself for that.

They checked in under a false name in the hotel and luckily the woman of the motel didn't have suspicions. When they were in the room she was relieved to found that there were two beds so the only thing she had to do was move them apart. She ripped a piece of fabric of her old shirt and poured the alcohol on it. Then she gave it to Sawyer who sat on the bed. He looked at her and said:

"Why can't you do it?" he said looking innocently up to her.

"Because I'm not your nurse" She said smiling playfully. He looked at her with raised eyebrows and she finally gave in. He handed the cloth back to her, their hands lightly touching. They both felt a slight thrill while touching ,like a little electricity shock. She looked up at him and grabbed the cloth out of his hands a little too aggressively. When Sawyer saw her reaction he knew he wasn't the only one who had felt it.

She sat next to him on the bed and leaned closer to him to reach his eyebrow. She got a seducing look from him. He sure was a flirt ,she thought. Kate didn't like the effect he had on her, this was really not the time to feel things like this. She needed to concentrate on staying away from the police.

He winced when she put the cloth on the gash and she gave him a sorry look. He was sure she dapped it a little harder then necessary. She held the cloth against his eyebrow a few moments until she thought it looked clean.

In the next hour they each took a shower and as Kate was in the shower Sawyer took the opportunity to lie down on the coach. She came back into the room and was nonchalantly drying her hair with a towel.

Sawyer propped his feet up the small table in front of him. She wasn't aware of him looking and he took a moment to watch her. She was wearing the pink sweater, probably because she didn't had something else. Her hair was still wet and way darker than normal. Her hair was also straighter then he had seen it and it brought out her bright green eyes and freckles. She sat next to him on the coach and he quickly changed the channel, a little ashamed that he was actually watching an episode of Oprah.

"So you like Oprah, huh?" She said clearly very amused at his behavior. He gave her a deadly look and mumbled something like: "Whatever" which only made Kate smile. The couch was very small and he felt her hair brush against his arm and he got goose-bumps from the feather light touch.

He zapped by a few channels until he saw a familiar face on the TV. It was a mug-shot of Kate. He quickly looked at her and she looked back with a sad look.

"I've seen it before, it's on every hour before the news. Not my best picture, huh?" She said sadly.

He gave her a sympathizing look and looked back at the TV because the announcer said something that caught his attention. _"Katherine Anne Austen is a wanted fugitive and goes by many fake names. She might have changed her appearance but if anyone has any tips on her where-about please contact us on this number… The last time Austen was seen was at a gas station, accompanied by this unknown man." _Then there was a photo of a blonde man with a black leather jacket and a baseball cap. Luckily his face wasn't recognizable. "_The police think that he might have something to do with her escape in Los Angeles. This was the 4__th__ time Austen escaped the authorities. Again, if you have any information about Austen or this man you can contact us at …"_

"Son of a bitch!" Sawyer shouted while punching his fist against the table.

"I guess they hadn't lost our trail after all…" Kate said softly to herself.

"You think?!" He growled at her throwing his hands up in the air as if to say 'unbelievable'.

Kate stayed quiet, a little guilty of being the cause of all this, and then stood up and paced true the room. Then she started to pack the few things that were in the room.

"What the hell are you doin' ?!" He snapped at her, still angry but a little calmer.

"What does it look like I'm doing?" giving him an unbelievable look "I'm getting the hell out of here"

He followed her example, grabbed the few things together and ran after her trough the door. She quickly looked around the parking lot at the options and walked off towards a black Audi in the back of the parking lot. She slammed the backseat window and pulled at the handle to open the car. She climbed over the driving seat and opened the door for Sawyer who looked very impressed. "You're a fast learner" He remarked with a grin.

She opened the other door for Sawyer and he sat next to her looking at her knowingly. She was a fast learner but she probably hadn't thought this through, he thought. Seeing his cocky grin she pulled the dashboard off in one swift motion and tugged at a wire which switched on the ignition. She quickly pulled up and raced out of the parking lot. Sawyer was looking at her with a hint of admiration in his eyes and although she didn't look back at him intentionally she could almost feel his gaze on her and she smirked.

They approached a crossway and a police car with sirens passed them. Kate luckily had put on her baseball cap again and hid her face under it. When the police car had passed she looked at Sawyer with a look that said. 'Man, that was close.'

They resumed their journey silently, without knowing where the hell they were going. She was planning to just get away from here as far as possible. Because it would only be a matter of time before they saw that their car was abandoned and they had stolen a new car. But at least they were OK for now. Kate and Sawyer discussed their options and Sawyer thought it was a good idea to drive a few hours and then get off the road at some deserted place and stay in the car for tonight. No more lousy motel rooms and car chases for them tonight.

So as they had driven 3 hours Kate pulled up at a drive-in restaurant and they switched positions before Sawyer ordered the food. Kate was on the passengers seat and was bending over so she couldn't be seen. She had her head close to Sawyer's lap and when she looked up she saw the wicked grin that spread over his face. When he looked down she gave him a look that could only mean. 'Don't even think about it!' and he casted her a look back that said. 'We'll see about that Freckles' and she rolled her eyes. Jerk.

They drove away until they reached a place where there were barely no streetlights and ate their food in silence for awhile. The food tasted good because they were both very hungry. Suddenly Sawyer grabbed something from under his coat and proudly showed it to Kate. It was the bottle of Southern Comfort. She smiled at him. "You seriously thought of taking that with you while we were running?"

"I don't know about you, but I sure can use a drink" He said ignoring her comment while pulling of the top and handing the bottle to her. She hesitated a moment because it meant that if she started to drink she wouldn't be able to drive when she needed to but looking at his daring gaze she took it. But just when she got hold of the bottle he pulled it back to him.

"Alright Sassafrass. If you want a drink, you gotta play.""Play what?'**"**I Never" **"**What?'**"**I Never' He repeated, like she must have guessed what it meant by now. **"**Am I suppose to know what that means?'**"**Call it a way to get to know each other better."

And then he handled the bottle to her.** "**For example I know you've never been to college"**"**And how do you know that?'**"**If you had you would have heard of I Never."

Kate laughed at that, her eyes sparkling a little. **"**It's simple. You say I Never then you finish the sentence. If it's something you did you drink, something you never did, you don't drink."

"That makes absolutely no sense." She grinned and shrugged her shoulders.

"Learn by example. I Never kissed a man. Now you drink, cause you've kissed a man."

Kate drank.

"Your turn" Sawyer said**"**I never implied that I've been to college, when I never have." She said in a smarty-pants manner.

Sawyer drank.

"I've never been to Disneyland." He said like it actually made him sad.

Kate didn't take the bottle from him.

"Aww, that's just sad." He responded with mock-sympathy.

"I never wore pink." Kate said and Sawyer drank, Kate laughed and looked down at her sweater , rolling her eyes and drank too. **"**I never voted democrat" He said **"**I never voted."

Sawyer drank.**"**I never been in love." He said while looking at her reaction.

She frowned. **"** You've never been in love?" She said like she didn't believe him.**"**Ain't drinkin' am I?"

Kate decided not to say anything else and drank, still looking at him suspiciously.

"I've never had a one night stand" She said certain of the fact she got him.

Sawyer drank**"** Bottom's up sailor" She said jokingly**"**I gotta drink for each one?" He said widening his eyes**"**Your turn" She said still smiling but happy too change the subject.

"I never been married." He said testing her reaction but her face didn't betrayed anything until she took a tiny little sip.

"Didn't last very long." She added as if it wasn't a big deal. She looked at him curious to what his reaction might be. He seemed surprised by it but composed himself quickly.

"I never saved a fugitive that ran into my car and helped her escape, claiming I did it to save my own ass." She said looking down not want to meet his eyes. He looked at her and drank. _Dammit, was he that obvious?_

"I never killed a man." He suddenly said and she looked up at him shocked. But although he never thought she would, she took the most tiny zip. And he drank too. "Well, looks like we got something in common after all." He said softly and they looked at each other.

They didn't say anything anymore because the mood was clearly became more personal. The silence was becoming very uncomfortable so they just drank, Sawyer taking a swig and passing the bottle over to Kate. After a while she took the bottle out of his hands but he held it back. She looked at him and frowned.

"I think you've had more than enough for tonight, darlin' "

She looked at him with an unbelievable look and came forward to grab the bottle out of his hands. He wasn't going to tell her what to do, she thought. She faked a smile and responded.

"I can hold my drink, cowboy, but thanks for your concern." But while leaning towards him to reach for the botlle but she lost her balance and fell forward a little. _Oops, she must be drunker then she first thought._ She placed one hand on his upper right leg for support and was suddenly aware of how close she was to him. Her face was only inches away from his and she could hear his breathing.

He held the bottle even further away and she came closer driven by her competitive nature. She wasn't going to give him the satisfaction so she reached out for the bottle again.

"If you're going to continue at the pace you were drinking, you'll be running around butt naked on this parking-lot before you know it." He said jokingly but the smile quickly left his face when he noticed exactly how close she had gotten. He could even feel her breathing in his neck and he held his breath.

She seemed to think about his remark and then said in his ear: "Yeah? Well I think you wouldn't mind that much…" She was taken aback by the effect her words had, she had intentioned it to sound jokingly but it came out highly erotic. Off course, that didn't go unnoticed by Sawyer and he had problems with finding words.

She was still hanging over him and was able to reach the bottle and take it but the bottle wasn't on her mind anymore. She was intoxicated by the feeling of being so close to him, he smelled so good. Their cheeks touched and she could feel his stubble. Overwhelmed by the feelings she gently grazed her lips over his cheek and placed her other arm on his left leg so that both of her hands were now placed on his legs.

Feeling her lips against the side of his face he turned his head a little and their lips touched. He hungrily took her lips with his and placed a hand behind her neck. She kissed him back forcefully and soon the kiss heated up. He tasted like whiskey and cigarettes and she couldn't get enough of it. She pulled back and softly bit his earlobe.

"I want you so bad…" He couldn't restrain himself any longer the moment he felt her hoarse voice in his ear and kissed her again. He grabbed her hips and pulled her on his lap while caressing her thighs. She broke the kiss and looked at him a little out of breath. While taking of her sweater she didn't break the eye contact. She knew her actions were probably encouraged by the amount of liquor she had consumed but right now it felt so good sitting on his lap, seeing his admiring gaze go hungrily over her body.

He noticed that she had nothing but a bra underneath the sweater and she quickly made work of that too. When she took off her bra he took a moment to admire the view he knew he wouldn't be forgetting anytime soon. She was sitting on his lap in only her jeans, her curls cascading down till just above her breasts. Although it was pretty dark in the car he could see she had the same wild look in her eyes like when she was being chased. But now it had a totally different cause, he thought smirking.

She fiddled at the buttons of his blouse and hurriedly took it off while he placed his hands on her breasts. He noticed that they fitted into his hands perfectly. He searched for the handle of the car seat with one hand and when he found it he pulled the seat backwards. He came towards her a little to take off his blouse all the way and she grabbed him by the neck, kissing him hard. She took off her jeans and he did the same. She came up a little to pull her pants off her legs and revealed a red lace panties. It was relatively dark but God, if he knew she was looking like THAT underneath her clothes the whole time …

Their kisses grew more frantic and their tongues were dueling each other, harder, and harder. He took the change to take control so he grabbed her by her waist and placed her underneath him. Their upper bodies were naked against each other and Kate noticed his chest was warm and soft. He teased her by playing with the side of her panties but eventually took it off all the way. She could already feel him pressing hard against her and she wanted nothing more then to feel him inside her. Sawyer noticed her pleading look and took off his boxers ,throwing them with her underwear to the passenger side of the car. Finally they were both fully naked.

Looking down at her he couldn't think. The one thing he knew was that he wanted her , bad. Her cheeks were flushed pink and her lips were swollen. Damn, he had never wanted a woman as bad as he wanted her right now and it scared him. He placed his hands on the insides of her thighs ,pulled them apart and entered her in one smooth motion. He looked at her and she threw her head back, the sensation of him filling her up completely too overwhelming.

She held her breath while he entered her and couldn't suppress a sigh. He increased the rhythm and he could feel the heat all around him. Her hands ran through his long blond hair while she felt him moving in her in a strong and rhythmical way. She pressed her nails into his back and closed her eyes ,savoring the feeling of pure bliss he made her feel. She didn't want to give him the satisfaction of knowing how out of control he made her feel when he grabbed her hips and trusted into her harder and harder. The rhythm they were moving in right know slightly frightened her but at the same time made her more aroused then she had ever been.

He found her lips again and kissed her to keep himself from crying out. He could hear her attempt of restraining her cries too and found it disappointing that her moans were muffled against his lips. He wanted to make her scream out of pure pleasure and he most definitely wanted to ruin her for any other man. He pushed his fingers between them and lightly began stroking her clit while gazing into her eyes. He smirked when her eyes rolled into the back of her head and he got the cry he wanted. "Oh, Sawyer" she gasped, arching against him, her fingers yanking his blond hair. He definitely knew what he was doing, she thought as she felt him coming down until his lips reached her navel.

Damnit, she wanted him so bad but she could almost feel that victorious smirk of his pressing against her skin. She shouldn't let him know how much pleasure he was giving her at this point but she couldn't help arching her back when his lips moved lower and lower until he reached the place were she wanted him most. He lingered his mouth over her and touched her so lightly at first she didn't even knew if he was touching her at all. God, he was trying to torture her, she thought when she felt his warm breath against her clit. When he heard her strangled cry he came up and trusted into her hard. She arched, twisted, and moaned underneath him until she finally cried out completely, her feet digging into his back forcing him to keep going as the other hand dug into the fabric of the car seat. The pleasure quivered through her trembling body, and she groaned when he picked up his pace again, his lips never leaving hers. She bit down on her lip and breathed in deeply.He let out a suppressed moan and she knew he was stretching it out. She felt her abdomen contract again and she exploded with a feeling of sheer ecstasy. Her moans were driving him crazy with desire and he felt himself falling over the edge. He had never felt like this, he felt like he was falling harder and harder. Her nails dug into his shoulders and he pounds harder and faster, loosing whatever sliver of control he had left to begin with. As he feels her tightening around him again she took him along with her until he came so hard he thought it would never stop and despite his best efforts he can't stop from crying out. He groaned her name, closed his eyes and he stilled against her. They were breathing heavily and he buried his face in her neck, still shivering a little.


	3. Chapter 3

Sawyer opened his eyes and looked around the car. He jumped up in a hurry and looked outside. Luckily it was still dark. He came up a little too quickly because a sharp pain shot through his head. _Jesus, what happened? _Then he looked through the car and saw exactly what happened.

Kate was laying away from him on the other car seat, only wearing his blouse and her underwear and her hair was spread out around her wildly. Then the bottle of Southern Comfort caught his eye. He rubbed his temples trying to decline his headache when he heard her mumble something. She rolled around, facing him.

She opened one eye and was met by Sawyer looking at her. She tried to pull herself up with on one arm but winced when she felt the pain throbbing trough her head and quickly let herself fall down again.

"Good morning" She heard him say, his voice dripping with sarcasm. She tried to open her eyes again and when that worked she came up again.

"Hi" She said softly and still full of sleep.

_What happened? _She thought to herself. But then images of last night came to her mind. _Oh my god, _was all that came to her mind. When she felt her cheeks flush she turned her head a bit so he wouldn't see the effects of only thinking about what he had done to her. It had been amazing. He had made her feel so out of control, and instead of fighting it, what she normally would do ,she hadn't minded at all.

She suddenly sprung up straight and hastily turned her head towards the window. She looked at her surrounding and when she noticed that it was still dark outside she felt the feeling of panic she momentarily felt when she realized they were now in plain sight slowly reducing. Her heartbeat came back to normal again and she looked over to her side where Sawyer was reaching over the back of the car, probably searching for their clothes.

Luckily he hadn't come up with any smart-ass remarks which surprised her because it was now the best time then ever. She hated to admit it but she actually wanted to hear one right now since it at least would break the tension.

Now the heat of the moment had passed, were they going to talk? They both weren't the types that talked about their feelings openly, she already had learned that about him in the short amount of time they spent together.

An awkward silence fell over them when he was pulling his pants on which reminded them both of last night. Right when she was opening her mouth to speak he began.

"Ok, so last night was uhh…" he said hesitantly, keeping his attention at closing his zipper.

"Was a mistake, I know." She quickly filled in his sentence. She was completely contradicting herself and she knew it but it was more a protective gesture then the truth. The thing was that she knew his view on one nightstands. Last night he even admitted that he had plenty of them. And although it had been amazing, it would hurt her to hear those words from him. So she made sure she said them first.

"Yeah…" he said slowly and Kate swore that she saw a hint of disappointment in his eyes.

_Alright, so she wanted to play it like that… _Sawyer thought. He avoided eye contact since he was a little scared at the intimacy it might cause and she seemed to do the same. She began pulling on her jeans he apparently had collected for her and when she had pulled it over her hips she looked at him.

"We should go." She said and he could see by the way she was fidgeting with the button of her jeans that she was still uptight about something. She was clearly frustrated at their little slip and probably cursed herself from loosing control. She was after all a fugitive and was probably used to being on her own and letting no-one distract her.

"We will puddin', as soon as you give me my shirt back." He said smirking cockily.

He saw her looking down at the shirt she was wearing and got a kick out of the sudden blush that appeared on her cheeks. She unbuttoned it and covered up her chest when she took it off all the way.

When he realized she wasn't capable of covering her chest up completely while taking the shirt from her shoulders he felt his heartbeat rising again. He sat back satisfied, enjoying the view and made a silent vow to himself that it would _**definitely **_not be__the last time he was going to see her like that.

Noticing her gaping spectator she threw the shirt towards him harder then necessary, startling him a little.

"I'm up here, you know?" She said, her voice confident and she looked at him ,daring him to say something.

He decided not to respond and instead flashed her his most charming smile while putting his shirt back on. He started the engine of the car and pulled it on the road again.

They were driving on the free way a few minutes later and he looked at her. He searched her face and wondered if she had meant what she said earlier. He didn't regret anything from last night. But he hardly ever did when it came to sleeping with woman. He just didn't think of it that much. But this time he felt an unfamiliar feeling deep inside him. He was usually really good at reading woman but was annoyed he hadn't got a clue what was going on in that pretty little head of hers.

He wasn't the type to kiss and cuddle in the morning and he definitely hadn't expected that from her but to say it was a mistake? He couldn't say it had felt like a mistake to him thinking back at her sitting on his lap, whispering in his ear that she had wanted him from the moment they met and giving him full control over her body. He glanced over at her again and he wondered if this was the same woman he was with last night.

The fact that she just said the whole thing was a mistake wasn't supposed to hurt him as much as it did. It had happened very often actually ,so he was pretty much used to it. He talked woman out of their pants for money and they were married most of the time. They always tried to keep some of their dignity by telling him that it was all a mistake after he left them naked and vulnerable in their bed. Not to mention without their money, but that was something they only realized a little later when he was already two states away.

But this time it wasn't like that at all and that scared him. He _**never**_had sex with woman he couldn't use for anything and he clearly didn't get anything out of Kate other then big problems. He had to admit he actually cared about her, otherwise he wouldn't have gone trough all this shit to help her out. He suddenly wondered when it was the last time he actually cared about someone else other then himself? Could it be that the answer was never? It was ridiculous but it was true.

Caring for someone just didn't fit in the line of work he was in so he never let himself. But that sort of changed since the moment he saw her haunted eyes gazing up at him in that alley. She looked so helpless to him then. Now he knew she was anything but that, giving the fact that she head butted him 2 seconds after that. Suddenly something came up to him, thinking back at the time they first met in the elevator, even before the time in the alley.

"By the way Freckles, what did you do to get rid of those handcuffs of yours?"

"Some guy helped me out." She said a little absent mindedly while she looked out the window.

He felt a sharp pang in his chest as he heard that and he didn't understand the hell of it. Maybe he felt threatened by the thought of someone else helping her out as well. Because somehow, along the way he was beginning to think that she stayed with him because she actually began to like him as well but he was beginning to doubt that now. He realized it was a stupid thing to think that she wanted to stay with him on her free will. She was a fugitive and she happened to run into him. He turned out to be very helpful and that's why they were still together. But that thought didn't comfort him as much as he had wanted. He felt a little used to be totally honest, especially since she just mentioned she had a habit of finding guys who could help her out. He was no different. He was just another 'some guy'.

"So what's the plan?" She asked after another unbearable silence. It looked like he knew were he was driving and she was a little agitated for not letting her in with his plan. If he had a plan…

"Dunno." He said flatly, keeping his attention to the road.

She sighed a little frustrated because there seemed to be something going on with him but she couldn't figure it out. Maybe he wasn't a morning person. He certainly didn't look like one, she thought smiling inwardly.

"We can't just keep wandering from motel to motel." She remarked eventually.

"Well sorry to disappoint you ,Princess but I don't exactly got a castle up a hill somewhere fancy so unless you have any better ideas I'll just get back to getting our asses as far as possible from LA. If it's fine by you." He delivered the last sentence as if he _**was**_ being polite but Kate knew damn well he wasn't. In two days she hadn't heard _**one sentence **_coming out of his mouth that wasn't loaded with sarcasm.

"So you have no idea where you're heading?" She asked already having a suspicion.

He looked at her and sighed. "I'm heading south."

It was the only information he wanted to let out but when he felt her piercing eyes on his face he cracked.

"I got a buddy in Tennessee who can fix you up with some things."

"Tennessee. Really?" She asked incredibly and he immediately noticed the disappointed undertone of her voice.

"Hey, what the hell is wrong with Tennessee." He said, suddenly insulted.

She chuckled at his defense. "Nothing is wrong with it, but don't you think it is a little obvious?"

"Why?"

"Since you're from there." She said as if he was stupid, which she was seriously considering right now.

He frowned for a while wondering how the hell she knew that but didn't want to give her the satisfaction of asking such a thing.

"What gave it away?" He drawled theatrical and she smiled widely, thankful that the tension was a little inclined.

She suddenly felt shivers run trough her body when she heard his dark and hoarse voice. It reminded her of last night and she quickly focused her attention on the sleeve of her sweater, hoping these feelings would lessen in a bit if she would stare at the seam long enough. Luckily he wasn't aware of any of this since he focused his attention back on the road again.

"Alright, so no Tennessee then." He said, trying to keep the conversation going. He hardly ever wasn't the talker but in this situation he felt like he needed to fill the silences in order to draw answers out of her.

"What about Albuquerque?" She suddenly said. "We're already heading in that direction. Just saw a sign that it is another **504 miles**. You know anyone there?"

His breath caught in his throat at the mention of the city. He slowly inhaled trough his nose. He knew someone there already, he thought. But at the nonchalant way she asked it she hadn't got a clue what was going on. He quickly thought about someone else he maybe knew around there and suddenly an idea came up.

"Yeah, I know someone there. I owe the guy a lot of money so that will do it."

"And that is a good thing?" She said slightly frowning.

"We're talking about big money. Guy will most likely do anything to get it."

"And are you?"

"What?"

"Going to give it to him?" She said slowly as if she had to do it in order for him to understand.

"You think if I'm that rich I'll drive a stolen car, Freckles?"

She rolled her eyes, deciding to let it go since she had a faint idea it wouldn't make any sense even if he did explain it.

He chuckled softly to himself. He really adored her little mannerism of rolling her eyes at him every time he said something like this. It made him try even harder to accomplish it.

"It helps that I ran into him being cozy with his secretary in his wife's car, though." She looked at him surprised and when she caught his eye he flashed her a sly smile and she smiled widely.

"So Albuquerque it is… " She said a little later in thought.

He stepped on the gas and the Audi responded with squeaking tires. He felt the capacity of the engine building up and he smirked. The girl had to know something of cars because she picked out one hell of a ride. It's a shame that they had to get rid of it soon enough since the owner probably made a report of it.

They were driving for another hour or so and when they drove past a gas station she suggested that they should buy some food since the 'food' Sawyer had bought a day ago got left behind in the motel room. Not that she had been dying to eat it though. He seemed to have a preference for fast-food and everything else that didn't involve vegetables. She had decided that it wasn't a good idea to tell him she was actually a vegetarian. Ever since she was on the run she had the habit of eating meat again since she found out she had more energy afterwards. And it also made buying food a lot more easy.

Sawyer parked the car out of sight and before he got out he told Kate to lock the doors from the inside and to put her baseball cap on. He was starving since they skipped breakfast but it didn't seem to bother her as much as him and he realized she probably wasn't a breakfast person. He was though, and he felt a little lightheaded now that he was walking.

He walked over to the small supermarket that was situated next to the gas station and suddenly noticed the cell phone behind it. He quickly searched his pockets and when his fingers found the piece of paper he was looking for he decided that he was going to make the call later. He went trough his pocket in search of cigarettes. He pulled one out of the box and put one behind his ear.

As he walked into the store the old woman behind the counter greeted him politely and he walked straight towards the food section. They had to stack up some food since he was planning on driving the next 9 hours straight. He picked some crackers, chips, cookies, a bottle of coke and when he walked to the cash register he walked past the isle of liquor. His eyes immediately fell on a bottle of Southern Comfort and he smirked.

He hesitated on taking it with him if only to see the look on her face but after realizing he had to sit with her for the next 9 hours in a very small space he placed the bottle back down. What was it that made him think these things about her? It wasn't like he knew her that well. She only happened to come along at the right time, or the wrong one, depending on who does the telling. He had to get his head straight, the girl was supposed to be a distraction.

"You always sleep with your clothes on, Freckles?" He asked as she was walking over to the bed fully clothed.

They had found a motel again. After Sawyer had driven for 8 hours straight he finally admitted he couldn't focus on the road anymore. Kate had highly amused herself , especially during the last hour. Sawyer was stubbornly driving on although she could see him squeezing his eyes at the road. When she asked him if he had bad eyes she got the most dangerous look and her comment seem to make him even more tenacious. She didn't dare to laugh as he finally gave up his inner battle and pulled up at this motel without saying a word.

She gave an irritated sigh and replied annoyed, fully aware of the intentions behind his comment.

"No… I don't. But I don't have anything to wear except this." She continued more to herself then to him while looking at the sweater and the jeans she was wearing.

Without a word he threw her his shirt and she caught it. She had wanted him to do that but she doubted if he would give up his only shirt. Apparently he did. The shirt was still warm and his scent caught her nose when she moved the shirt over to her other hand.

Suddenly aware of the fact that he was half naked since his shirt was in her hands she looked up and got the confirmation. He was standing in the shabby bathroom with his back towards her ,brushing his teeth. She couldn't see his face in the reflection since it was blocked by the door but she actually didn't mind this view either. He was leaning on the sink with his right hand and as he moved his left arm up and down she could see the muscles ripping between his broad shoulders. She actually hadn't noticed he was a lefty before, although she had plenty opportunity's to find that out, she thought and slightly blushed as her thoughts were directed to all the things he could do with those hands.

He was wearing white boxers and it was only now that she could see that he had an even tan over his entire body, not only his arms and face. He bend over a little to rinse his mouth with water so she quickly turned her attention on something else since it probably wouldn't take long for him to come back out again.

She walked over to the side of the bed and pulled her pants off behind a relatively big chair that was standing a few feet next to it so he wouldn't see anything. She was pissed off that their was, off course, still one room left in the whole motel and that, off course, it was a room with only one bed.

When Sawyer walked back into the bedroom she felt his eyes piercing the top of her head while she bent down to lower her pants and she knew what was coming so she rolled her eyes in advance.

"Seen it before you know, _Sweet cheeks_." She looked up and caught him leaning forward a little, trying to get a peek. She shifted uneasily and cursed herself for blushing under his admiring look. Wanting to make him feel a little less pleased with himself she thought of something that would definitely do the trick.

"Well, take a mental picture cause you won't get to see it again. _Honey_." She replied smartly, emphasizing on that last word, drawing it out so that he would hear the disgust in it. She wanted to make clear how much his nicknames started to irritated her, especially since he mostly used them only when he didn't mean them.

When she looked up again she saw the message hadn't come across the way she wanted. He looked at her with an arrogant look on his face, his chin tilted slightly upwards as if to prove he knew that she was talking big. She could also see that he had already thought of something himself since his eyes glistered in the dim light of the room and his dimples were more pronounced then ever.

"I recall you didn't seem to mind at all last night when you were sitting on my lap, all hot and bothered." He said slowly, his voice becoming very dangerous. He knew the effect it must have on her and still he couldn't help himself. He wanted to make her understand how much she was contradicting herself right know.

She probably knew it herself as she was shooting daggers with her eyes clearly more irritated with herself than him. He almost thought that she was going to stamp her feet and shout with steam coming out of her ears but she pulled herself together and turned around leaving him a bit disappointed that she didn't bite.

She was still standing behind the chair and she looked at him with a threatening look. He got the message and he turned around grinning scornfully. He heard her working at her shirt and tossing it in the back of the room more violently then necessary. When he turned around she was already wearing his shirt which reached to her knees and almost entirely covered up her small body. He had to admit that it looked better on her then him, though.

He raised the covers and laid down on his side of the bed. She did the same and moved over to the far end of the bed, obviously making a statement. _This was going to be interesting,_ he thought and he soon fell asleep with a satisfied grin on his face.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Kate woke up from a loud sound and jerked up in bed. Realizing with relieve that the sound must be coming from the highway she decided to go the bathroom. She hadn't been in a deep sleep anyway and she noticed the little beats of sweat on her forehead. She wiped them off and glanced over at the cheap bedside clock.

4 AM. At least she had slept more then she first thought ,probably because she was exhausted. It was so strange that you could feel so worn out from sitting in a car all day long but she realized the emotional stress of being on the run finally got to her. It was taking all of her energy to constantly look behind her and she panicked the moment she let her attention slip away. Which was happening more frequently the last couple of days.

She glanced over at the main reason for that. He distracted her. It was the reason why she got so mad at herself. Last night it somehow came to a point were she was totally drunk in a car with a complete stranger. Not to mention having sex with that stranger. As a normal person it already wouldn't have been the smartest thing to do, let alone as a fugitive.

She noticed he was stirring in his sleep too and she felt a slight twinge of recognition in the way he was lying there. He was lying on his side, his knees slightly pulled up and his arms tightly around himself as if it would protect him from something only he could see. His fists were balled and the knuckles colored white from the intensity of his grip. And suddenly she realized he was anything but the careless, sarcastic guy he liked to come across as.

Somehow looking at him changed her former thoughts about seeing him as a stranger. It was funny but it felt like she knew him forever, like he knew her darkest secrets. Like he somehow shared them.

The way they could sit in a car in a complete serene silence, it was like they hadn't got anything left to talk about. Which was crazy since they didn't knew shit about each other.

She didn't knew what he did for a living, she didn't knew why he was helping her, she didn't even knew how old he was and she probably hadn't even known his real name by now if it wasn't for her sneaking around and finding his ID.

She was sharing a bed with him and although it was because the motel had only one room left and ,of course much to his enjoyment, had only one bed, it didn't feel uncomfortable, as a matter of fact, she felt safe.

"We're lost, now I know it for sure."

Kate's voice was desperate while she looked at the rain that slammed against the wind-shield. After they left the motel when it was still dark they exited the highway and had taken a narrow, mounting road which had several hairpin bends. Hairpin bends which she would have been nervous about when it was dry ,let alone when it was pouring. Off course it just happened to be her turn to drive and she cursed Sawyer even more when she noticed the reason why he hadn't reacted at her previous shout of frustration was that he was fast asleep in the seat next to her.

He had written the directions on a napkin and handed it to her after he made the call to his connection, probably already foreseeing this exact situation, she figured. She could hardly make out the words on it but as she looked down at his sloppy handwriting she could finally make something out of it. Looking out the window she saw that the writing directed her to the right but she realized she must have misread it. There was an even narrower road that was surrounded by branches from a big pine-tree which was so narrow it was most likely going to damage the sides of the car.

She sighed and gave him a deadly glare, fully aware of the fact that he wouldn't notice it anyway. She reached over to him and poked his side until she got the reaction she was hoping for. He growled frustrated and murmured something incoherently and then he opened his eyes ,shooting her a dreadful look.

She quickly came to the point and pushed the napkin under his nose, pointing out the word she must have misread.

"What does this say?" She asked and he could hear at the tone of her voice that she had been trying to stubbornly make it to the place alone and that it took all of her will-power to wake him up and ask him for help.

"Aww, I'm flattered Freckles but ain't you the girl scout around here?" He drawled lazily, his voice hoarse from sleep and she had to give everything not to smile. Instead she pushed the napkin closer to his face.

He squeezed his eyes and took the napkin from here, holding it way to far from his eyes and even further when he seemed to finally make out the words.

"Tsay's right." He said, as if she was stupid.

"Right?" She said and looked at the narrow road in horror. He traced her look and sighed.

"Just drive trough it, alright." He said as if she was being a baby. "Or you want me to drive?" He said, knowing that she would never let him, not after she already asked for his help once. She was way to stubborn for that, he smirked.

"No thanks, with your eyesight we're ending up in a ditch before you even put one hand on the steering wheel." She said evil-mindedly and smiled widely when she saw his truly offended and shocked face.

She looked out in front of her and saw the beginning of a mountainous landscape ahead of her. Under normal circumstances she would have been deeply impressed with the view before her but she had to keep all of her attention on the road. Since they were already driving on the narrow road she figured they were most likely close to their destination. The rain was raging against the sides and the path was hardly wider then the car.

"I can only hope that the guy who gave you those directions knows what he's doing." She muttered under her breath, but hard enough for him to hear.

As if answering her question, suddenly right after they took the last hairpin bend they saw an open space that was surrounded by pine-trees. In the middle of the open space there was a small house made of wood and brown-red bricks. The bricks were damaged here and there and it looked a little worn with age.

It was nothing like she had expected it to look like when Sawyer had told her he knew someone who had a place to hide out. She honestly had expected some kind of dump in the middle of nowhere but looking over at the small house with a porch around the front side the she was actually becoming excited.

She continued to drive over the narrow road which continued into a smaller exit that led directly to the front of the house and she wondered how far you would have to drive to come across another house. It was probably the most secluded place she had ever seen, she thought when she realized they hadn't come across any form of life since they exited the exit of the highway. She stopped the car right in front of the house and looked sideways at Sawyer which also seemed a little surprised but covered it up and got out of the car.

Kate wrapped her sweater tight around her body, opened the door and got out too. Shaking from the rain and the cold wind she walked after him. With her arms around her body she saw him began to work on the doorknob. The door was locked and he rattled at it hard. He released the doorknob, put his hands to his sides and looked around deep in thought. After calmly waiting for a few minutes her patience came to an end and suddenly she had an idea.

Sawyer saw Kate beginning to walk in the corner of his eye and he turned around.

"What the hell are you doing?" He asked, slightly pissed off that he hadn't thought this part trough and that they were standing in the pouring rain. Without responding she walked over to the wooden porch at the front of the house and Sawyer followed her, curious to what she was doing. .

"You're planning on slamming one of those windows ,Sweet Cheeks?"

He realized that his worry for her had slipped trough with his last comment despite his effort at trying to sound unaffected. If she was trying to smash a window she'll be covered with glass and the thought of that made him want to stop her even more.

But right when he wanted to say something else she kneeled before a flower pot that was standing next to the door. She picked it up and took it with her to the backdoor.

"What the hell are you doin' Freckles." He said while gripping her wrist.

"I'll give you 3 guesses." She said, obviously humored by his concern that she was going to shatter the window.

"How the hell would I know what it is your planning to do. You're the criminal."

He couldn't help it. He felt like he had to make clear he didn't care if she would _**jump **_through the fucking window but he immediately regretted it when he noticed she looked hurt.

Kate tried to look unaffected by his words but she was furious inside. Not only because of the low comment he just made but also at the fact that every time she thought he cared ,he threw in one of those sly remarks and kicked her back into the corner again, keeping her at a safe distance.

He saw her turning away from him, slamming the pot against the side of the house.

"Damn girl, wouldn't have picked you for the violent type." He remarked sarcastically.

She sighed again at that exaggerated patient tone, while she picked up a piece of dirt and started crumbling it. "I'm looking for a key." She said and she heard him scoff behind her.

"Hate to break it to ya, but I can't imagine that someone who has enough money to built a house like this is as naïve to hide their key in the flower pot… You're wastin' your time darlin'."

She stubbornly continued crumbling the dirt like she hadn't heard him but then suddenly turned and stood up, walking towards him. He knew she was up to something but he forgot it the moment he saw her alluring glance.

When she was standing right in front of him, their toes touching, she leaned in, just enough to make him swallow his next remark. He felt his heart skip a beat when he saw her lips coming closer.

Then suddenly he was drawn back to reality when she pushed a dirty silver colored object to his face, holding it in the small space that was left between their lips. She smiled up at him harmlessly and he snatched the key out of her hands, almost losing his cool if it weren't for her that sexy, yet sly smirk she had plastered on her lips.

She watched as he removed the remaining dirt of the key and angrily put it in the keyhole . His poor man pride had apparently been crushed severely and she stood outside a moment longer, secretly relishing the fact that she could do that to him.

The furnishing was a mix of rustic and surprisingly luxurious and it reminded her more of an apartment then a house since it was relatively small. The wooden ceilings were supported by wooden joists while a spiral staircase lead upstairs to an attic.

There was a big L-shaped couch in the living area which was pointed at a TV set. Next to the couch there was a white comfortable armchair, furnished with a black-white stripes fabric which was repeated in the cushions and in the curtains.

The curtains had been the first thing Kate had noticed. Even though the windows in this place were relatively small, it comforted her to know that she could be totally secluded if she wanted to.

All the other rooms seemed to be on the first floor since she only saw an attic upstairs. She opened one of the doors and discovered a bedroom. Her eyes quickly scanned for an other one and she let out a breath of relieve when she noticed Sawyer looking around in the opposite room, which was also a bedroom.

Normally Kate would have been impressed by this gorgeous house but knowing why she was here made it all less enjoyable. She also was to hungry to give it her full attention so she turned around and walked into the open, somewhat old fashioned kitchen who was divided with the living room by a bar. She rummaged around in some of the cabinets and found a can of soup. She took it and started searching for a saucepan when she suddenly heard his voice behind her.

"May I hope, based on this" he said, while kicking of his boots, "that you're the domestic type?"

"You mean if I can cook?" She replied displeased.

He only smiled.

"Not for you." She said smiling but not completely joking while raising her chin a little.

She heard him mutter something like 'Stubborn as hell' but didn't miss the faint evidence of admiration on his face before he turned around.

He sat himself down on one of the stools, watching her.

"I mean I sure hope that you can take care of yourself since I'm gonna be outta here by tomorrow and there isn't really a neighbor which you can borrow sugar from..." He almost murmured to himself but Kate definitely heard him since she suddenly frowned.

Sawyer noticed this with surprise. She obviously thought he was going to stay, he figured. It wasn't that he had said anything about it but he assumed that she already knew. Why would he stay? He wasn't the one that was being chased by the police.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

**Previously…**

_She rummaged around in some of the cabinets and found a can of soup. She took it and started searching for a saucepan when she suddenly heard his voice behind her._

"_May I hope, based on this" he said, while kicking of his boots, "that you're the domestic type?" _

"_You mean if I can cook?" She replied displeased._

_He only smiled._

"_Not for you." She said smiling but not completely joking while raising her chin a little. _

_She heard him mutter something like 'Stubborn as hell' but didn't miss the faint evidence of admiration on his face before he turned around. _

_He sat himself down on one of the stools, watching her. _

"_I mean I sure hope that you can take care of yourself since I'm gonna be outta here by tomorrow and there isn't really a neighbor which you can borrow sugar from..." He almost murmured to himself but Kate definitely heard him since she suddenly frowned. _

_Sawyer noticed this with surprise. She obviously thought he was going to stay, he figured. It wasn't that he had said anything about it but he assumed that she already knew. Why would he stay? He wasn't the one that was being chased by the police. _

Kate straightened her back and forced a smile. "And where exactly are you going?" She said with a forced light voice while she still rummaged trough the cabinets, hiding the disappointment that were caused by his former words.

To be totally honest she hadn't been looking forward at being propped up with him in one house for an unknown period of time but she cursed herself for assuming that he was going to stay.

"The guy who arranged this told me he has a job for me in town." He said, glancing around the house. "But I gotta tell ya Freckles, it ain't really fair that I'm gonna be stacked up with a 50-year old bold Texan who smells his own farts and you're lounging in this bungalow all by yourself." He smirked.

She suddenly broke into a smile and it reached from ear to ear, making her eyes glimmer in amusement. He felt his heart cringe at the sight.

He really felt for her. She didn't deserve to be put in this situation, he thought bitterly, no matter what she had done it couldn't be that bad.

"So…what kind of job?" She asked ,suddenly curious and he had to think twice about what they were talking about again since he got distracted by her smile.

"Sales." He quickly said, not missing a beat but she had heard it; the slight hesitation in his voice. He was lying.

She raised her eyebrows, just barely visible but he saw it. She knew it wasn't true.

He wasn't going to tell her the truth and that disappointed her a little. After everything they went trough together she thought they formed some kind of a connection, _**a bond**_. But she was clearly wrong, seeing the fact that he was leaving her behind in the middle of a pine-tree forest close to a mountain about 24 miles from Albuquerque.

_**But hey, it could have been worse**_, she thought to herself as she took another look around the comfortable house. The realization that she finally _**was**_ in a warm house, and not in a car anymore made her knees weak and she knew that she needed to eat.

While he had been talking she had found the saucepan she was looking for. It didn't look like he was planning on making something for her since he had retreated over to the couch, his feet propped up the table. So she decided to warm up the soup herself. It was the least she could do for him, she realized.

He had ,after all, been willing to help her and give her this place to hide-out and basically risked his own safety with it. She still wasn't able to figure out why he had done it. He didn't look like someone who cared about someone other than himself.

Maybe he already planned on going to Albuquerque and saw no harm in taking a woman with him to keep him company. Suddenly a feeling of rage overwhelmed her as she thought back to what happened in the car.

He was just using her. He didn't care and she wouldn't care so much either, she promised herself after hearing her own ridiculous thoughts. The truth was, if it weren't for him she would be caught by now, or maybe even hiding out on the street.

Sawyer watched from a distance when she put the saucepan on the stove and poured the soup in it. Giving her awkward movements he realized she had probably never done this before in her life and he smirked as he walked over to the bathroom, planning on taking a long shower.

The house had surprised him and left him wondering why his partner owned a homey place like this. It was probably used for a con, he realized as he saw that a lot of stuff where still in the house.

The toiletries where still on the shelf above the wash basin and he could see that one of the two sinks was clearly used by a woman. It looked like the woman who had been living here abruptly had to leave the place, leaving everything behind.

Just like Cassidy, he realized sadly.

Sawyer had arranged a house to live with her the same way he had done with this one and it had functioned as his home for over a year. Off course Cassidy hadn't got a clue about the fact that he was using the house and his charms to get to her money. He quickly shook his thoughts about the woman who had his child away.

Although he couldn't. He had an image of what his daughter would look like by now and sometimes he caught himself lost in his thoughts. She must be about a year by now and although he didn't knew shit about kids he realized she could probably already walk.

He undressed and stepped inside the shower cubicle and closed the dusted sliding door. Stepping under the water seemed to lower his thoughts a bit and he seemingly relaxed as he felt the hot water rinse over him.

Kate had found some dishes and cutlery and had placed the pan of soup in the middle of the table, looking very distracted as she sat down opposite of Sawyer at the dining table.

When he looked at her face, he saw that the tension of the few days had created faint blue circles under her gorgeous eyes and that she was also distinctly pale which made her actual freckles stand out even more.

She was something else, he admitted to himself. Brave, sweet and stubborn as hell.

He suppressed the feeling of placing his hand on her cheek to try and comfort her but he quickly banned that thought from his mind. He wasn't used to comfort somebody but in some twisted way he couldn't help himself.

"It's gonna be OK, Freckles." He said softly.

Kate, who didn't knew what to do with those sudden affectionate words that came from him, took a zip of her water to win some time. He was looking directly at her and suddenly it occurred to her that while she had made diner he had showered, shaved himself and put on clean clothes… and that , in a dark blue sweater and a new pair of jeans he looked even more handsome then she had seen him.

She smiled at him, thankful for trying to make her feel better but she wondered what he meant by his words. He was going away tomorrow and she wasn't really looking forward at spending the days alone out here, in the middle of nowhere.

If she was being honest with herself, she wanted him to stay. She liked him, no doubt about that and although she tried her very best not to show it, he always made her laugh whether it was intentionally or not.

When she finished her soup she walked over to the bathroom and Sawyer called after her that she could use everything that was there.

When Kate found the stuff he was talking about she thought it was strange. _**Do there still live people in this place? And do they even know that their house is being used as a hide-out? **_

Meanwhile Sawyer was sitting on the couch staring at the TV, not able to concentrate on the program that was on. He heard the water running and he felt his mind wandering to images of a naked Kate in the shower, soaping herself all over.

Deciding that he wasn't going to be able to follow a damned show about crocodiles with his mind set on totally other things so he raised himself up from the comfortable couch and walked over to the kitchen to check for beer.

As Kate walked back into the living area she frowned when she heard some kind of celebrating yelp coming from the kitchen and leaned a little to her left to see what was going on.

Suddenly Sawyer came walking towards her with two bottles of beer and a boyish smirk plastered on his face. She rolled her eyes. He looked truly happy, Kate thought with sympathy. And all of that for a beer.

Sawyer came to a halt when he saw the stunning appearance standing in the door. She stood there ,looking at him with a confused, yet amused look. She was wearing a purple colored tank top and silk pajama pants which she probably found in the closet in her bedroom and her wet hair was pulled up in a loose bun. And if he saw it correctly she even had some make-up on.

She walked away from him nonchalantly, not aware of his mouth hanging open and sat down on the couch. He quickly followed, feeling like a slobbering dog as he saw her perfectly formed buttocks press up against the silk material as she sat down on the couch.

"You want a beer, Freckles?" He asked nonchalantly after he cleared his throat, feeling her satiny curls brushing against his arm as he sat down beside her.

"Yeah thanks" She said smiling appreciably but batting her eyes to the floor when they made contact with his.

Her eyes scanned over the TV but no matter how hard he was pretending he was actually watching the program, she knew he wasn't.

His hand, that tried to get comfortable on the couch behind her, touched hers for a second and a shiver ran through her.

"You know, I was wondering… Do the people who live here even know that we are here?" She began carefully, trying to keep her voice neutral. He looked over at her , trying to find out her intentions and let out a small sigh. He knew this was coming.

"Place is vacant." He replied, mimicking her exact tone.

"Why is there all that stuff in the cabinets and closets then?" She tried but when the words were out she knew she had gone too far.

"You're asking to much questions, sweetheart." He replied distantly and she got the chills from the somewhat cold tone of his voice.

He sighed, knowing he came across ruder then he had meant it when he felt her tense beside him. Well, not really, he had meant it but when the words left his mouth and he heard them, he suddenly wanted to apologize. He didn't knew where the hell _**that**_ sudden need came from, he thought bitterly.

"So you like your new place?" He asked a while later to lighten the mood a little and Kate looked over at him and smiled, which unnerved him somehow. It looked like she knew it was his way of saying sorry.

"It's amazing…" She said with a dreamy voice, looking around to prove her statement.

"You think you can handle being alone?" He asked hesitantly. What he really wanted to know but couldn't bring himself to ask was if she wanted him to stay. Hell, if she would ask him right now he wasn't going to say no.

He was actually beginning to regret his earlier words about heading to town. But what was he supposed to do? Just stay? Then he would be coming across as desperate idiot, like he didn't had a life.

Which he didn't, he suddenly realized then.

"I'm a fugitive, I'm used to being alone…" She said somehow sad. "I can handle myself…" And she smiled, not very convincing.

He shrugged and looked at her. She came up from the couch a little and right before she stood up she looked him directly in his eyes and whispered. "Thank you, James."

Sawyer felt his breath caught in his throat at the sincerity in her eyes. He suddenly felt very awkward, not only because he wasn't used to being called by his given name, but also because nobody had ever thanked him for anything so sincerely.

She gave him a sweet smile and walked over to her bedroom after saying goodnight almost timidly. Sawyer sighed deeply and let himself fall back into the couch, watching her until she closed the bedroom door all the way.

At times like these she gave him the idea that maybe she did like him. The way she became almost shy and batted her eyes at him, when she rolled her eyes in mock annoyance.

Jesus, look at what he was turning into. Might as well go outside, pluck a daisy and pick the petals. He shook his head rapidly. He was going to leave tomorrow, and that's pertinent. She already made clear that there wasn't a chance in hell in something happening between them again. And he was fine by that…


End file.
